CCHR, CLEC, NICFEC and LICADHO
November 16, 2009
We, the undersigned members of Cambodian civil society, condemn the lifting of parliamentary immunity from Sam Rainsy Party (SRP) President Sam Rainsy by the National Assembly on November 16, 2009. The Assembly’s action is yet another blow to Cambodia’s faltering democracy, and continues the government’s disturbing trend of using the courts to intimidate and weaken political opponents.
Rainsy is the third SRP member to be stripped of parliamentary immunity – the second time this year only - in the past five months. Fellow SRP Parliamentarians Mu Sochua and Ho Vann were stripped of their immunity by the National Assembly on June 22, 2009. The latter was acquitted by the Phnom Penh court on September 22, 2009; yet, the National Assembly has failed to restore his parliamentary immunity back.
The Assembly’s practice of routinely stripping opposition party MPs of immunity raises grave doubts about Cambodia's democracy. Even more disturbing is the nature of the charges against these politicians, whose alleged crimes all stem from public expression of opinion on sensitive topics to the ruling party.
The Svay Rieng court is considering charging Rainsy with incitement and destruction to public property in relation to the uprooting of wooden posts set to mark Cambodia’s newly-agreed border with Vietnam which took place on October 25, 2009. The Cambodian government alleges that this act “incited” villagers to commit crimes; Rainsy claims that the markers were on Cambodia’s soil. Accusations were brought against Sam Rainsy after complaints by the Vietnamese government which enjoys a long history with the ruling party.
The Cambodia-Vietnam border issue is a sensitive issue. In late 2005, Beehive radio owner Mam Sonando was charged and sent to Prey Sar prison after Sonando broadcasted an interview in which Seang Pengse was critical of a border treaty signed by the Cambodian Government. Shortly after, Cambodian Independent Teacher Association (CITA) President Rong Chun joined Sonando in jail when the government accused him of incitement in relation to a joint statement signed by civil society leaders calling for the “mourning of lost land” to Vietnam.
Today’s events are a testament to Cambodia’s shrinking democracy, and the willingness of the ruling party – with the support of their partner National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) and the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), it seems – to quash political dissent. This morning, all 87 members of parliament present at the National Assembly voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of Sam Rainsy. Members of National Assembly from SRP and Human Rights Party (HRP) were not present at the NA.
The lifting of parliamentary immunity and the increase in defamation, disinformation and incitement charges against journalists, civil society members and opposition party leaders is reminiscent of the 2005 crack down on opposition and nongovernmental voices. In that year, Sam Rainsy and two other SRP MPs, Chea Poch and Mr. Cheam Channy, also had their parliamentary immunity removed so they could face criminal charges filed by the government. Mr. Cheam Channy was subsequently imprisoned for a year after being unlawfully convicted by the military court on bogus criminal charges.
We urge the National Assembly to respect its principle of parliamentary immunity and for the Cambodian government and courts to cease harassment and end groundless legal attacks against opposition party politicians and other critics.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Ou Virak, President of Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), 012 404 051
Mr. Yeng Virak, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), 012 801 235
Mr. Hang Puthea, Executive Director of Neutral & Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Election (NICFEC), 012 959 666
Ms. Pilorge Naly, Director of Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), 012 803 650 .
Rainsy is the third SRP member to be stripped of parliamentary immunity – the second time this year only - in the past five months. Fellow SRP Parliamentarians Mu Sochua and Ho Vann were stripped of their immunity by the National Assembly on June 22, 2009. The latter was acquitted by the Phnom Penh court on September 22, 2009; yet, the National Assembly has failed to restore his parliamentary immunity back.
The Assembly’s practice of routinely stripping opposition party MPs of immunity raises grave doubts about Cambodia's democracy. Even more disturbing is the nature of the charges against these politicians, whose alleged crimes all stem from public expression of opinion on sensitive topics to the ruling party.
The Svay Rieng court is considering charging Rainsy with incitement and destruction to public property in relation to the uprooting of wooden posts set to mark Cambodia’s newly-agreed border with Vietnam which took place on October 25, 2009. The Cambodian government alleges that this act “incited” villagers to commit crimes; Rainsy claims that the markers were on Cambodia’s soil. Accusations were brought against Sam Rainsy after complaints by the Vietnamese government which enjoys a long history with the ruling party.
The Cambodia-Vietnam border issue is a sensitive issue. In late 2005, Beehive radio owner Mam Sonando was charged and sent to Prey Sar prison after Sonando broadcasted an interview in which Seang Pengse was critical of a border treaty signed by the Cambodian Government. Shortly after, Cambodian Independent Teacher Association (CITA) President Rong Chun joined Sonando in jail when the government accused him of incitement in relation to a joint statement signed by civil society leaders calling for the “mourning of lost land” to Vietnam.
Today’s events are a testament to Cambodia’s shrinking democracy, and the willingness of the ruling party – with the support of their partner National United Front for an Independent, Neutral, Peaceful and Cooperative Cambodia (FUNCINPEC) and the Norodom Ranariddh Party (NRP), it seems – to quash political dissent. This morning, all 87 members of parliament present at the National Assembly voted to lift the parliamentary immunity of Sam Rainsy. Members of National Assembly from SRP and Human Rights Party (HRP) were not present at the NA.
The lifting of parliamentary immunity and the increase in defamation, disinformation and incitement charges against journalists, civil society members and opposition party leaders is reminiscent of the 2005 crack down on opposition and nongovernmental voices. In that year, Sam Rainsy and two other SRP MPs, Chea Poch and Mr. Cheam Channy, also had their parliamentary immunity removed so they could face criminal charges filed by the government. Mr. Cheam Channy was subsequently imprisoned for a year after being unlawfully convicted by the military court on bogus criminal charges.
We urge the National Assembly to respect its principle of parliamentary immunity and for the Cambodian government and courts to cease harassment and end groundless legal attacks against opposition party politicians and other critics.
For more information, please contact:
Mr. Ou Virak, President of Cambodian Center for Human Rights (CCHR), 012 404 051
Mr. Yeng Virak, Community Legal Education Center (CLEC), 012 801 235
Mr. Hang Puthea, Executive Director of Neutral & Impartial Committee for Free and Fair Election (NICFEC), 012 959 666
Ms. Pilorge Naly, Director of Cambodian League for the Promotion and Defense of Human Rights (LICADHO), 012 803 650 .
Mr Hun Sen, he should loss his imminity. He is the one whom have very little interest in national security.
ReplyDelete559.
Smart up people, especially KI!
ReplyDeleteWhy everyone is mad at Hun Sen?
We all know that yuons force Hun Sen to do this and if he doesn’t do it yuons will kill him or put him in jail like they did to Chan Si or Pen Sovann. If we want Hun Sen to disobey Hanoi, the first thing we do is to hit back at yuons, not at Hun Sen.
I think if the Svay Rieng court pursued the charge against Sam Rainsy, SR could appeal this to the higher court and the King.
ReplyDeleteWould not the King be the head of the Supreme Court?
Would not the King be responsible for Cambodian sovereignty?
Democratic Kampuchea Pol Pot Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
ReplyDeleteTortures
Brutality
Executions
Massacres
Mass Murder
Genocide
Atrocities
Crimes Against Humanity
Starvations
Slavery
Force Labour
Overwork to Death
Human Abuses
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime had committed:
Attempted Murders
Attempted Murder on Chea Vichea
Attempted Assassinations
Attempted Assassination on Sam Rainsy
Assassinations
Assassinated Journalists
Assassinated Political Opponents
Assassinated Leaders of the Free Trade Union
Assassinated over eighty members of Sam Rainsy Party.
"But as of today, over eighty members of my party have been assassinated. Countless others have been injured, arrested, jailed, or forced to go into hiding or into exile."
Sam Rainsy LIC 31 October 2009 - Cairo, Egypt
Executions
Executed members of FUNCINPEC Party
Murders
Murdered Chea Vichea
Murdered Ros Sovannareth
Murdered Hy Vuthy
Murdered Khim Sambo
Murdered Khim Sambo's son
Murdered members of Sam Rainsy Party.
Murdered activists of Sam Rainsy Party
Murdered Innocent Men
Murdered Innocent Women
Murdered Innocent Children
Killed Innocent Khmer Peoples.
Extrajudicial Execution
Grenade Attack
Terrorism
Drive by Shooting
Brutalities
Police Brutality Against Monks
Police Brutality Against Evictees
Tortures
Intimidations
Death Threats
Threatening
Human Abductions
Human Abuses
Human Rights Abuses
Human Trafficking
Drugs Trafficking
Under Age Child Sex
Corruptions
Bribery
Illegal Arrest
Illegal Mass Evictions
Illegal Land Grabbing
Illegal Firearms
Illegal Logging
Illegal Deforestation
Illegally use of remote detonation on Sokha Helicopter, while Hok Lundy and other military officials were on board.
Illegally Sold State Properties
Illegally Removed Parliamentary Immunity of Parliament Members
Plunder National Resources
Acid Attacks
Turn Cambodia into a Lawless Country.
Oppression
Injustice
Steal Votes
Bring Foreigners from Veitnam to vote in Cambodia for Cambodian People's Party.
Use Dead people's names to vote for Cambodian People's Party.
Disqualified potential Sam Rainsy Party's voters.
Abuse the Court as a tools for CPP to send political opponents and journalists to jail.
Abuse of Power
Abuse the Laws
Abuse the National Election Committee
Abuse the National Assembly
Violate the Laws
Violate the Constitution
Violate the Paris Accords
Impunity
Persecution
Unlawful Detention
Death in custody.
Under the Cambodian People's Party Hun Sen Khmer Rouge Regime, no criminals that has been committed crimes against journalists, political opponents, leaders of the Free Trade Union, innocent men, women and children have ever been brought to justice.
Monday, November 16, 2009
ReplyDeleteSam Rainsy has chosen good place to stay away from those demons
Where Sam Rainsy should go during the court trial and parliamentarian immunization lifting?
The simplest answer is to stay away from those politically motivated and Vietnamese plans.
* In order to shut up the mouth of Cambodians, to threaten, to quickly proceed its encroaching and test its authority inside CPP, Vietnam has planned to put those 6 sticks in the farm land of Cambodians when realized that Sam Rainsy will lead the Kathin there.
* Under its satellite team work, Vietnam has expected to throw one stone but kill two birds: to test its power inside CPP and threaten Cambodian people in the whole country in expressing their opinion regarding border encroachment of Vietnam.
* Vietnam has well perceived that 99% of mass media (TVs, Radio, Newspapers) in Cambodia are owned by the CPP to effectively manipulate Cambodian people.
* CPP has tried to degrade political popularity of Sam Rainsy by demoralizing as runny away (or hit and run) etc. But major Cambodian people have realized well the biased court, politcally motivated court of Cambodia government, and the human rights violation of Cambodia prison.
In Solidarity
KY
PM Hun Sen has problem seeing our border from the EAST!! PM Hun Sen must tell Hanoi to Fuck off..!!
ReplyDeleteRFA asked Xam RainXy a simple question that "Will he come back to Cambodia to face the Court if Parliament lift his immunity?". He didn't answer the question but at the same he tried to say something which irrelevant to the question, aim to cover up his coward act. What is a funny politician?
ReplyDeleteSince he pulled off the six poles near Vietnam's border, he always says all along that he doesn't afraid at all if the government sues him, but right now, he can't even step his foot in Cambodia.
As I am often said that Xam RainXy is brave only in front of microphone but in real life, he likes a rat runs around asking other people to help him whenever his political stunt get backfire.
Xam RainXy should go to Thailand and asks his ally (Abhisit and PAD) for helping him.
Khmer in Sydney